OPINION:
We interrupt the usual news of Washington to report that, back in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican Legislature just wrapped up a productive session.
It is, of course, axiomatic that those who work in the nation’s capital have limited interest in what happens in the states, especially those outside of the Northeast Corridor or California. Unfortunately, however, most of the working and paying and living and dying that goes on in this country happens in those other three dozen or so states.
The extent of the productivity is especially impressive.
People care about crime and safety. A few days ago, Mr. DeSantis signed a series of bills designed to ensure that Floridians are safe from crime. The governor signed into law bills that protect Floridians from bail “reforms” advocated by prosecutors funded by George Soros, as well as some politicians who want to encourage a general air of lawlessness.
Other laws make those who commit particularly egregious sex crimes eligible for the death penalty and impose added penalties for crimes related to fentanyl and other drugs, including making those who target children in the sale of drugs eligible for life imprisonment.
Or perhaps you’re more focused on school choice in this moment. At the end of March, the governor accelerated the great nationwide movement toward school choice and funding students rather than systems and signed HB 1, which expands available school choice options for all students in Florida by eliminating financial eligibility restrictions and the current enrollment cap. Florida already has 1.3 million students who learn full time in a school of their family’s choosing — larger than the entire K-12 student enrollments of 35 other states.
How about right-to-life issues? On April 13, the governor signed the Heartbeat Protection Act, which prohibits abortion once the unborn child has detectible cardiac activity.
Guns? On April 3, he signed HB 543, which strengthens Floridians’ Second Amendment rights by allowing residents to carry concealed weapons without a government-issued permit.
The governor is also about to sign pro-investor and pro-consumer legislation that requires the Florida State Board of Administration to base investment decisions “solely on pecuniary factors.” The legislation — which affects all public retirement systems in Florida — defines pecuniary factors as any factor that any system board or fiduciary “determines is expected to have a material effect on the risk or returns of an investment based on appropriate investment horizons consistent with the investment objectives and funding policy of the retirement system or plan. The term does not include the consideration of the furtherance of any social, political or ideological interests.”
How about tort reform and reeling back in the lawyers? At the end of March, Mr. DeSantis signed HB 837, which should minimize frivolous lawsuits and prevent predatory practices of trial attorneys.
It is tempting to argue that of course the Florida Legislature did all of these things — it has a supermajority in both houses. Unfortunately for those who would argue that, it turns out that leadership matters.
Majorities don’t always automatically lead to conservative policy victories. For instance, the Georgia Legislature, where the Republicans have controlled both houses since 2005, failed to expand school choice. In North Carolina, where the Republicans have controlled both legislative houses since 2017, they been unable to pass pro-investor and pro-consumer legislation. Texas Republicans, who have controlled the state Legislature since 2003, are struggling to pass property tax relief, school choice legislation, and a measure to put guardrails on genital mutilation of transgender children.
It turns out that leadership matters and that electoral results matter. One of the reasons that Florida has strong majorities in the Legislature is because of the governor’s strong reelection victory in which he and the Republicans remade the political map.
If conservatives are looking for a model of how to win again — not just in elections but in getting Republican policies signed into law — Mr. DeSantis has provided the path to follow: Win elections that are about something beyond personalities and grievances and translate those wins into legislative victories beyond the routine and expected wins on tax legislation.
• Michael McKenna, a columnist for The Washington Times, co-hosts “The Unregulated Podcast.” He was most recently a deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House.
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